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A rewarding career to counter a ‘crisis’

While there has been plenty of publicity about the Bendigo childcare system being in a crisis, the solutions are not hard to find, says Ujjval Goble of Organisational Learning Australia (OLA).

“Family Daycare is a straightforward way to overcome the current shortfalls in the childcare system,” he said. OLA offers quality childcare education out of Bendigo to people wishing to work as childcare educators.

“Educating more people to work as Famiiy Daycare educators and then getting them into the workforce is addressing shortfalls in the system.”

Around 25,000 Australians now run Family Daycare centres from their own homes, and with an acute shortage of childcare places there is vast scope for employment in this area.

“OLA offers training as well as employment placement for people who want to work from their own homes as childcare educators,” Ujval said.

“And as far as the children are concerned, family daycare is a lot more personal, because they are cared for in a home environment.

“Everyone is talking about the difficulty of finding affordable childcare in Bendigo. TAFE's BRIT Beginners centre closed in March, and Council has decided to close its Bendigo Early Learning Centre in December next year.

“We have a shortage of childcare educators in Bendigo. Taking up a career as a childcare educator is a financially viable pathway for working parents, who can sometimes find childcare financially out of their reach.

“Local councils are withdrawing from offering child care services. And a recent Productivity Commission inquiry into childcare found what we are experiencing first hand – that there is a shortage of services in regional areas, as well as long waiting lists for affordable child care.

“Training as a childcare educator is a really positive way to find satisfying employment and to address the shortfall in the childcare system.”